diff --git a/networking/isrv.c b/networking/isrv.c
index 1a41dd4fb..080c60fbd 100644
--- a/networking/isrv.c
+++ b/networking/isrv.c
@@ -21,20 +21,6 @@
 
 /* Helpers */
 
-/* Even if _POSIX_MONOTONIC_CLOCK is defined, this
- * may require librt */
-#if 0 /*def _POSIX_MONOTONIC_CLOCK*/
-static time_t monotonic_time(void)
-{
-	struct timespec ts;
-	if (clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC, &ts) != 0)
-		time(&ts.tv_sec);
-	return ts.tv_sec;
-}
-#else
-#define monotonic_time() (time(NULL))
-#endif
-
 /* Opaque structure */
 
 struct isrv_state_t {
@@ -258,7 +244,7 @@ static void handle_fd_set(isrv_state_t *state, fd_set *fds, int (*h)(int, void *
 			/* this peer is gone */
 			remove_peer(state, peer);
 		} else if (TIMEOUT) {
-			TIMEO_TBL[peer] = monotonic_time();
+			TIMEO_TBL[peer] = monotonic_sec();
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -335,7 +321,7 @@ void isrv_run(
 			break;
 
 		if (timeout) {
-			time_t t = monotonic_time();
+			time_t t = monotonic_sec();
 			if (t != CURTIME) {
 				CURTIME = t;
 				handle_timeout(state, do_timeout);
diff --git a/runit/runsv.c b/runit/runsv.c
index baef6e13f..b35c26630 100644
--- a/runit/runsv.c
+++ b/runit/runsv.c
@@ -33,6 +33,34 @@ ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 #include "libbb.h"
 #include "runit_lib.h"
 
+#if ENABLE_MONOTONIC_SYSCALL
+#include <sys/syscall.h>
+
+/* libc has incredibly messy way of doing this,
+ * typically requiring -lrt. We just skip all this mess */
+static void gettimeofday_ns(struct timespec *ts)
+{
+	syscall(__NR_clock_gettime, CLOCK_REALTIME, ts);
+}
+#else
+static void gettimeofday_ns(struct timespec *ts)
+{
+	if (sizeof(struct timeval) == sizeof(struct timespec)
+	 && sizeof(((struct timeval*)ts)->tv_usec) == sizeof(ts->tv_nsec)
+	) {
+		/* Cheat */
+		gettimeofday((void*)ts, NULL);
+		ts->tv_nsec *= 1000;
+	} else {
+		extern void BUG_need_to_implement_gettimeofday_ns(void);
+		BUG_need_to_implement_gettimeofday_ns();
+	}
+}
+#endif
+
+/* Compare possibly overflowing unsigned counters */
+#define LESS(a,b) ((int)((unsigned)(b) - (unsigned)(a)) > 0)
+
 static int selfpipe[2];
 
 /* state */
@@ -126,14 +154,6 @@ static int rename_or_warn(const char *old, const char *new)
 	return 0;
 }
 
-#define LESS(a,b) ((int)((unsigned)(b) - (unsigned)(a)) > 0)
-
-#include <sys/syscall.h>
-static void gettimeofday_ns(struct timespec *ts)
-{
-	syscall(__NR_clock_gettime, CLOCK_REALTIME, ts);
-}
-
 static void update_status(struct svdir *s)
 {
 	ssize_t sz;